According to Ecclesiastes 3:1, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Didn’t Jesus know that taking longer where He was would prevent Him to see His friend Lazarus alive? Even though, He decided not to go there at the very moment He was asked to. Let’s consider Max Lucado’s reflection on this event.
Yet “[Jesus] stayed where he was for the next two days” (John 11:6 NLT). The crisis of health was exacerbated by the crisis of delay. Days came and went. No Jesus. Lazarus began to fade. No Jesus. Lazarus died. No Jesus. Israel’s rabbinic faith taught that for three days a soul lingered about a body, but on the fourth day it left permanently. Jesus was a day late, or so it seemed. Verses 21-22: “Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.’
Maybe you, like Martha, are disappointed. You told Jesus about the sickness. You waited at the hospital bed. Now death has come. Would you be willing to imitate the faith of Martha? Would you say, Even now, I believe in God? Remember, my friend, you are never alone.
Prayer starter: Dear Lord, I thank you because I can always feel I’m not alone. Your sweet and peaceful presence is with me. Please help me put aside all iniquities because they are the reason to separate you from me. Help me be patient enough to wait your promises to come true in my life at the moment you want to.
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Lucado, Max. November 5, 2020. Available at https://maxlucado.com/listen/crisis-of-delay/. Accessed: January 1, 2021.
